It’s mango season in Florida. It’s been going on a few weeks and even every little corner convenience store has a bin with fresh, local and juicy mangos. Yum.
That’s probably why I was inspired to order the snapper with mango salsa a week ago when I went out to dinner with my friend Susan.
We hadn’t visited in a while and talked up a storm. The food became only a backdrop to the conversation, which is most likely why, when the server came over to ask about our meals, we commented “fine” and rushed back to finish the thought or the sentence.
It wasn’t until the evening was over, and I was taking home the half of my meal that I didn’t eat that I realized that the meal was a little less than “fine”. When I got home I opened the container and I immediately identified what it was. Here in the middle of juicy ripe mango season in Florida, my fish was covered with underripe, evenly cut little squares of mango that probably came out of a freezer bag and not fresh from a tree.
It really made me think.
Sure, the restaurant probably ran more efficiently by using the precut and largely flavorless and pale mangos. Sure, it was probably a more cost effective way to manage the budget so food prices didn’t fluctuate with the season BUT was it the best thing for the customer?
Not this one.
It actually made me mad that with all the fresh, local and delicious fruit around, I was insulted with the industrial version of mango instead of the better choice.
It also made me wonder.
How many times do you make the same choice of your convenience over the customer’s delight? How many times could you be doing something – a little outside of the normal process perhaps – that would provide a juicier, fresher and more delicious experience for your customer?
Just askin’.
